Justice Department Orders Ballroom Investigator to Preserve Records

A federal prosecutor has formally asked a sitting senator to preserve his papers, a rare move that signals an intensifying clash between Congress and the White House over donor privacy.

Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, sent a letter to Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday. The letter warns of severe legal consequences if Blumenthal does not keep documents related to his investigation of White House ballroom donors. Reitz argues that the senator's inquiry effectively threatened citizens for their association with the President and other public officials.

The inquiry targets anonymous private contributions to a construction project on White House grounds. The total cost of the ballroom project is approximately $400 million. Reitz described the investigation as using Congress as a weapon against American people. He stated that he was taking initial steps to stop this abuse of power. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter supported this position. McCotter noted that the First Amendment prohibits Congress from infringing on the speech and association rights of Americans.

Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, rejected the characterization of his work as an overreach. In a response, he vowed to vigorously pursue investigations into the administration's use of taxpayer dollars. He accused the White House of weaponizing the Justice Department to target Congress in violation of the Constitution. The senator said he would not be intimidated by the legal pressure.

The conflict began last month when Blumenthal sent letters to individuals identified by The Washington Post as private donors to the ballroom. A news release from his office stated he was leading an inquiry into waste, fraud, and abuse associated with the project. President Donald Trump previously promised to release the names of these donors but has only made a partial list public. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who is under investigation by the FBI for an affair with an alleged Chinese spy, has acknowledged his donation.

Reitz's letter cited specific federal statutes regarding conspiracy against rights and the deprivation of rights under color of law. A Justice Department spokesperson explained that the department routinely requests record preservation when public officials take extreme actions. The department alleged that Blumenthal's letters attempted to suppress the First Amendment activities of the donors, including their philanthropic practices. This approach is unusual because such measures against a sitting member of Congress typically undergo extensive review within the Justice Department's Public Integrity Office, an office that has been reduced in size during the current administration.

Blumenthal issued his own record preservation request on Wednesday night. He directed Reitz to keep all records and correspondence related to the decision to draft the letter. This includes any communications with the White House or senior Justice Department officials. The senator characterized his investigation as part of his constitutional duties. The ballroom project has faced legal challenges, but the Supreme Court ruled in August that the construction could proceed indefinitely.